Cribbing

[jdlowndes]

i need some help. We got awarded a set of tools from CEDAP. Now I need Cribbing. Anyone got any ideas for cribbing. And NO I am not above building my own!

[BigRig]

Please email me directly at [email protected], and I'll send you a copy of the handout I use which hopefully will help you.

[firefighterbeau]

drop me an email also, i can give you the ND state heavy rescue requirements

[email protected]

[Zmagrescue]

I am sure that this may ruffle a few feathers, but the tighta@@ dutchman in me says "Never pay for something that you can get for free". Wood, free wood if possable. I have seen $1,000.00 worth of plastic that could never stand up to a free pile of wood.

[Frosty42]

Wood is the best option in my opinion. Treated hardwood (good quality). Couple of things you can do to "customize" your cribbing...
1. Paint a highly visible color
2. Stencil dept. name on at least two sides of each piece
3. Rope handles

Also do not go cheap on the quantities. Have a good supply of each size and do not forget about a variety of wedges. 3/4" or 1" plywood panels in a variety of sizes are also handy.

[N2DFire]

Wood is the best option in my opinion. Treated hardwood (good quality). Couple of things you can do to "customize" your cribbing...
1. Paint a highly visible color
2. Stencil dept. name on at least two sides of each piece
3. Rope handles

Also do not go cheap on the quantities. Have a good supply of each size and do not forget about a variety of wedges. 3/4" or 1" plywood panels in a variety of sizes are also handy.

O.K. - I partially agree & partially disagree (respectfully)

1) I prefer softwood instead of hardwood as softwood will "warn" you prior to failure by creaking, groaning, and splintering - hardwoods just make a pop and it's over - failed - no prior warning.

While we're on the topic of material choice - go for rough(er) cut wood not finished (planed / sanded) as it will have better gripping ability.

2) Painting - DO NOT paint anything but the ends of the cribbing - painting the mating surfaces makes them slick and lessens their ability to "grip" each other.

Consider using different colors for wedges vs "regular" cribbing. (We use florescent orange for "rectangle" cribbing and florescent yellow for wedges.

Some people will recommend painting different sized pieces different colors - I think if you can't tell 2" from 4" from 6" just by looking then you probably shouldn't be building cribbing stacks anyway.

Stenciling your dept. name / logo falls into the same category - just pick end color(s) that your normal M/A departments don't use or put some type of marking on the ends.

3) Rope handles are nice if you want them. There are 2 basic ways to make them.
- You can simply tie knots in the cord and then staple it down. Cheap (and looks it) & effective. If you staple the knots on the sides (stacking faces) instead of the end then it makes it slightly harder to stack cribbing in storage.

- Drill a hole through the cribbing and pass the rope completely through and then tie knots in the end. Also cheap & effective & also hard to stack in storage UNLESS you use a larger bit and chamfer the holes or make "pockets" for the knots to pull back into. This looks and stores MUCH better.

You can also make some pretty nifty cribbing carriers from Plywood (for the handle) and old seat belts. That way you can "pre-load" a set-up with say 6-4X4's, 2-2X4's and 2-4X4 wedges in a package that's roughly 8" wide & 16" tall

Step Chocks
You'll also want to make some step chocks. Plans for making these come in as many "flavors" as firetrucks so build what you think you need. I prefer to stay with rough cut lumber in 2X6 but you can use 2X4 if you want.

Also several opinions on how to affix the layers together (Screws, Glue & Nail, Glue & Screw, etc) again pick your poison. Screws alone will let you replace a damaged section pretty easily but on the other hand if something happened that was bad enough to damage 1 section are you really going to trust the others?


Parting thought - cribbing length.
The basic rule of thumb is stack no higher than 2.5 to 3 times the length of your cribbing so if your going to want taller stacks, you're going to need longer cribbing.

My FD uses 24" long cribbing and is also fortunate enough to have a strut system (Z-Mag if your curious) so if we get anything that has to be cribbed higher than 24" we will go to the struts first if at all possible.

jdlowndes - All food for thought - Congrats on the grant & good luck w/ the cribbing.

[LeeJunkins]

N2DFire,
You beat me to it.
1) I prefer softwood instead of hardwood as softwood will "warn" you prior to failure by creaking, groaning, and splintering - hardwoods just make a pop and it's over - failed - no prior warning.

And hard wood does not allow as much grip as soft woods do, soft wood allows the metal surface to mash into it some what , hard woods do not therefore they are slicker. Yes you may have to replace more soft wood but they are much safer.


2) Painting - DO NOT paint anything but the ends of the cribbing - painting the mating surfaces makes them slick and lessens their ability to "grip" each other.

Paint also acts as a filler it can hide a lot of defects in the wood. If you are worryed about weather damage use a penatrating water sealer. or treated wood.

[cedwards2006]

Im in a volunteer company which covers about roughly 100 mva's a year and we have the plastic cribbing kits and we also got permission from our commishioners to go buy 4x4,6x6,and 2x4 wood from lumber store and made r own also. Just if u do go this route make sure u attach rope or handles to end of cribbing so that it is easier to pull out from under Vehicle.

[MEDIC0372]

Wood is GOOD...Not painted and and keep it soft. If you have the room keep some long and cut at scene if needed.

2x4s
4x4s
6x6s
wedges
Pre-made (by you) Step cribbing
2'x2'X3/4' Ply-wood sheets

[Rescue101]

To see some VERY NICE cribbing go to Branch Corp,or the website Cribpac.com. Frank Malteze makes some cribbing pacs that are well thought out,convienient AND TESTED! That's right I said tested.Frank has spend probably thousands of hours testing various types of wood for cribbing and has settled on the best types for his pacs.A long time supporter of Rescue classes throughout the Northeast,I have had the pleasure of working with Frank on several schools. You might say he has a woody for wood.Anyway,you owe it to yourself to check out his product.I'm still trying to figure out how he gets all that wood into the bag(just kidding,after a couple times you find them easy to pack). T.C.

[Haweater]

Find a trucker...

Do you know any truck drivers? I have a friend who works for a major transport company and he says there are literally thousands of pieces of hardwood 4x4 at his yard. They use them for spacing, etc on lots of the loads that go on the flatbeds. Almost always hardwood too. Can you say donation?
Cheers,
Gord